An antique Chinese flower-shaped Ru dish, from the Northern Song Dynasty, is expected to fetch HK$80 million ($10.3 million) at Sotheby’s auction house in Hong Kong on April 4, 2012, according to reports by several international news sites on Monday, March 12, 2012.

The 900-year-old rare imperial ceramic bowl, a pale blue-green translucent matte glaze, has raised the interest and excitement of Asian art collectors. Reports say that there are only about 79 pieces of Ru ceramics in the world, and most of them are in the museums.

A pre-sale roadshow in Beijing was called off by organizers for fear of stampede. The antique bowl, reportedly about the same diameter as a DVD, will only be shown to potential buyers.

Nicolas Chow, Deputy Head of Sotheby’s Asia division, explained that “for security reasons, we thought it would be preferable for our clients to view it within the confines of a private room.”

Reports say that after the private exhibit in Beijing, the antique bowl will be on public display in Taipei, capital of Taiwan.